FORMER Super Eagles captain Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha has urged Nigeria’s national team to fix what he describes as their most damaging weakness; inconsistency as preparations intensify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
News Point Nigeria Sports reports that Okocha’s intervention comes at a time when Nigerians are still reeling from the emotional and sporting disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a second consecutive absence from football’s biggest tournament.
Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign was turbulent from start to finish. Over 10 matches, the team managed four wins, five draws and one defeat, but it was the nature of dropped points that drew national frustration.
A historic 1–2 loss to Benin Republic, the first competitive defeat to the Cheetahs put Nigeria on the back foot.
But the early home draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe, games many fans expected the Eagles to win comfortably, exposed a deeper fragility in the squad’s performances.
Finishing behind South Africa denied the Super Eagles automatic qualification, forcing them into a second-chance continental play-off format.
Although Nigeria overcame Gabon 4–1 after extra time, their campaign ended in heartbreak once again after losing on penalties to DR Congo, sealing another World Cup miss after the 2022 failure.
Speaking to RG, Okocha said the lesson from the painful qualifiers must be taken seriously.
“Nigeria’s run in the World Cup qualifiers was a rollercoaster, but we would have loved to see Nigeria qualify with ease,” he said.
“We all know football is not an easy game, but what I think they should improve on is to be more consistent. They need to stick to winning with top performance in every game.”
The former midfield maestro said the nation’s footballers have the talent to dominate Africa but must find stability and intensity in every match, not only when under pressure.
The Super Eagles head into AFCON 2025 carrying mixed emotions — pride from reaching the AFCON 2024 final in Ivory Coast, but disappointment from yet another World Cup absence.
Nigeria has been drawn in a tricky group that includes Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania, and new head coach Eric Chelle faces the challenge of steadying a talented but unpredictable squad.